


Summer Lovin'

by Cactilda



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: F/M, Reader is adopted by the moomins, Reader is human, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2020-11-09 05:49:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cactilda/pseuds/Cactilda
Summary: Though you would never admit it to anyone but Moominmama, you had feelings for the vagabond.  He was always so sweet to everyone, and took every thing that came his way in stride!  Not to mention he was very handsome.(Wowee look at that another fanfiction)





	1. 1

“Wake up everyone!” Moomin shouted, “It’s springtime!”  
His cheery voice rang through the halls and stirred you from your sleep. You sat up, stretched, and groaned as you rubbed the winter sleep from your eyes. “Is it really springtime already?” you wondered aloud. After slipping on some wool socks, you padded across the cool wood floorboard to your window, and shivered as a small breeze kissed your cheek when you opened it.  
Sure enough, the snow had begun to melt, and fresh green grass and small budding flowers were beginning to show their heads. You grinned and shut the window, eager to go out and play with the others. You pulled a black turtleneck sweater over your head, adjusted the straps of your favourite plaid jumper skirt so that they’d fit over your shoulders perfectly, and tugged on your boots over a pair of black stockings.  
Moomin met you out in the hall and together the two of you ran down the stairs. As you rushed by Little My’s room, she angrily stuck her head out and glared at you. “Moomin, (y/n)!” she shouted.  
“Oh! Little My! You’re up!” you grinned.  
“It’s hard to stay asleep with you two yelling.”  
“We can’t help it if we’re happy,” Moomin spoke up. Little My glared more. “So you woke me? I was having a lovely dream about living in a watermelon.”  
“But it’s beautiful outside!” you said.  
“Oh gee, is it? Is it really (y/n)?” she said sarcastically.  
“Yes, it’s all fresh! The flowers are out and the sun is shining!”  
“So? I like being asleep.”  
“But it’s spring! You said you wanted us to wake you as soon as spring was here!”  
“Oh boy, did I?”  
“Yes you did Little My! You said you wanted to be awoken as soon as spring was here.”  
“Really?”  
“Yes you did.”  
“Hmmm, did I say something like that?”  
Growing tired of her repetitive questions, you said, “You can go back to bed if you want. Nobody’s making you get up Little My.”  
“No, there’s really no point, and I’m not sleepy anymore!”  
“Well, there you are then!” Moomin smiled. The door at the top of the stairs opened and Moominmama stepped out, wiping her hands on her striped apron. You all grinned and you followed Moomin up the stairs to give the troll a hug.  
“Good spring Moomin and (y/n)!”  
“Moominmama,” Little My said rather loudly, running over to her side, “I’m starving, have you got any watermelon?”  
“No,” Moominmama laughed, “but there’s lots of other things! We’ll all have a nice big breakfast.”  
You watched her go downstairs, and a moment later, your favourite sound in the world graced your ears. Snufkin’s harmonica! “Snufkin’s here!” you cheered, and dashed down the hall, Moomin and Little My following suit. Though you would never admit it to anyone but Moominmama, you had feelings for the vagabond. He was always so sweet to everyone, and took every thing that came his way in stride! Not to mention he was very handsome.  
Moomin ran up to his room to go down the rope ladder while you and Little My raced out the front door. Moomin met you by the front porch, and hopped off the red tiled roof to join you on the ground.  
“Wouldn’t it be quicker to use the stairs?” Little my asked.  
“It’s more fun this way!”  
The three of you ran down the path towards the Moomin’s bridge. “Are you going home now?” Moomin asked as Little My ran with you all.  
“Yes, thanks very much for letting me spend the winter here!”  
“Don’t think your sister will be back yet though!” you called after her as she ran off in the direction of her home.  
“I’ll go anyway,” she responded.  
Snufkin was seated on the bridge’s rail, playing his harmonica when you and Moomin joined him. His large hat still had a red feather sticking out of it, and you smiled warmly at the sight. You had given him the feather last summer when the two of you had gone exploring in the woods. It was beautiful and almost shimmered in the light, and you had immediately stuck it in his big green hat. “Snufkin!” you called out as you jogged over to him.  
He grinned and placed his harmonica down. “Oh hello (y/n)! And hello to you too Moomin!”  
“It’s really good to see you Snufkin!” Moomin said.  
“And you too!”  
“You still have my feather!” you cheered.  
Snufkin took off his hat and smiled at the shock of red. “I do, though it’s seen better days.”  
“It’s the thought that counts.”  
“You’re back early!” Moomin spoke up, “Weren’t you having a good time?”  
“Yes, I was, but I didn’t want to miss springtime in Moomin Valley.”  
“What did you do?” you asked.  
“I’ll tell you later,” he said, his voice lowered so that no one but you and Moomin could hear. A secretive smile played on his lips, and you felt your cheeks dust pink for a moment. “Let’s go wake up Sniff and think of something exciting to do,” he said suddenly, hopping off of the rail and twirling you around. You laughed and walked alongside him. “I don’t think he’ll like it,” Moomin said, and you agreed.  
A few minutes later, you all were standing outside your friend’s house. Loud sores could be heard through the door, and you chuckled. Sniff always was a heavy sleeper! Snufkin whistled loudly twice, but the snores continued. “He’s still snoring,” he grinned, “I’ll do it again.”  
He whistled twice again, and this time, the snores stopped with a disgruntled snrrk! “Well that’s done it!” you said.  
Sniff’s yellow door opened and he stuck his pointed nose out, and annoyed look on his face. “Come on Sniff!” Moomin cheered, “It’s spring! Snufkin’s here!”  
“Please go away you three,” Sniff said desperately.  
“We’re going to do something really exciting!” you said. This caught his attention! “Like what?” Sniff asked, a new, curious glint in his eyes.  
Before you knew it, you three had coaxed Sniff out of his home and were walking down the path to the beach. “I could think of more exciting things to do than this.”  
“Well let’s imagine that we’re the first ever to climb this mountain!” Moomin suggested.  
“It’s such a clear day,” Snufkin said, “we’ll be able to see all of Moomin Valley when we get to the top, and the sea!”  
The dirt path you were on turned to stone as you climbed up the mountain, and a stream ran past the rocks a few feet below you. An older man hopped from rock to rock down below you all, almost slipping a few times. “Good morning Mr. Hemulen!” Moomin shouted down to him.  
“Morning Moomin!” he called back, “Are your father and mother up yet?”  
“Mama was when I came out!”  
“Good! I’ll never understand how you can sleep for months on end!”  
“We like it!”  
Mr. Hemulen hopped onto another rock, his large purple gown gripped tightly in one hand. He slipped, and for a moment you feared he would fall into the cold water! He gained his balance quickly though, and finally hopped onto land as you continued your journey up the mountain. Higher and higher you climber, and colder and colder the air felt, until you swore you could almost see your breath! Sniff panted heavily behind you all.  
“Why do I always have to do something exciting?” he complained, without getting much of a response.  
“We’re almost there,” Snufkin said, likely reassuring Sniff.  
Sure enough, the four of you finally came to the top of the mountain, and you gasped. The view was awe inducing! Sure you had been up there before, but every time was like your first time. “What a gorgeous view!” you said, staring out at the glittering blue ocean. Wind snapped up your hair in wisps that tickled your face, and tugged at your skirt, as if wanting you to play with it!  
“It really is,” Snufkin said under his breath. Had you been a lovesick child, you likely would have dreamed he was looking at you when he said that. Unfortunately, you were one of the oldest in your group of friends, aside from Snufkin, who was a little over a year older than you, and you knew better than to fool yourself into thinking about that.  
“Hey look, there’s smoke coming from Moomin house!” Sniff said, “We should have stayed at home, I bet Moominmama’s cooking something good!”  
You smiled, of course Sniff was thinking about food! Suddenly, Moomin saw something. “Look,” he said, pointing at a dark shape nestled in the grass. “What is it?” you asked.  
“We’re not the first here after all! Look over there!”  
“A top hat!” Snufkin said.  
You ran down and picked it up gently. It was an awfully big top hat! “I wonder who’s hat it is,” you said as the others joined you. You gave it to Moomin and he examined it, “I don’t know, but I know Papa would like it!” With that, you all wandered down back to Moomin house.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally just posted this like 5 hours ago HOW DOES IT ALREADY HAVE HITS

While you walked, Snufkin sidled up beside you. “How was your winter? I know you don’t sleep through the whole thing like the Moomin’s do.”  
“It was wonderful, but lonely. I didn’t have many people to spend Christmas with!”  
“Oh I’m sorry to hear that! I wish I had thought about coming back to visit you so that you wouldn’t be so lonely.”  
Butterflies formed in your stomach and you suppressed a giddy smile. “How was your winter, though, Snufkin? Where did you go?”  
“Ah, now that’s a tale I’ll tell you and Moomin later!” he said.  
“You’re no fun!” you said, sticking your tongue out at him. He laughed and you all continued on your way.  
Moominpapa was in the dining room when you all arrived, and Moomin excitedly presented his gift to him. “It’s much too big,” he said, taking his hat off and placing the new one on his head. It slid down and covered his eyes. “Look!” he said, laughing as it slid down more, “Oh dear!”  
Moominpapa pulled the hat down a bit and said, “I can nearly get inside!”  
You laughed as you watched the shenanigans unfold from the couch. Moominpapa began blindly chasing Sniff and Moomin around the room, bumping into furniture just as he almost got one of them. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Snufkin watching you laugh from under the brim his large hat. “Is something wrong?” you asked breathlessly after calming your laughter down and wiping away tears that had gathered in the corner of your eyes.  
“Nothing,” he said, giving you another one of his secretive smiles. This man was one hell of a mystery!   
“Well, that’s enough nonsense, I think I’ll take it off now, oh!”  
Moominpapa tugged and tugged on the hat, trying to get it off but to no avail!  
“What’s the matter?” you asked.  
“I can’t move it! It’s stuck!”  
You stood up from your seat and ran to Moominpapa’s side with Moomin and Sniff.  
“I’ll give you a hand,” you offered, grabbing the top of the hat.  
“Pull!” Moominpapa said, and you did with all your might. “Harder!”  
You pulled even more with the help of Moomin and Sniff, and the hat popped off Moominpapa’s head! You all tumbled to the ground like dominos, and the hat fell gently to the ground. “Oh that’s better,” Moominpapa said, relieved the hat finally came off, “Thank you.”  
Moominmama came in from the kitchen and examined the scene before her, an amused glint in her eyes. “What’s all this noise?”  
While Moomin told her about the hat, Snufkin walked over to where you still sat on the floor and offered you a hand. You gratefully accepted it, and he pulled you up as if you weighed nothing. “Thank you,” you said, shooting him a small smile as you dusted off your skirt. “Of course!” he said.  
Moominmama set the hat down by the kitchen door and smiled, “I know what we can do with it.”  
“It’s a wastepaper basket Moominmama,” Snufkin said.  
“That’s right, well done Snufkin!”  
“That was easy!”  
“Come on Snufkin, come and have some breakfast with us.”  
Snufkin followed Moominmama into the kitchen, as well as everyone else. Moominmama’s cooking was the best! She sat you all at the table, and placed large plates in front of you. A platter of pancakes was passed around, as well as a small pitcher of syrup. You drizzled the amber coloured condiment on your cake, then passed it to Snufkin who was sitting next to you. As if in a cliché romance novel, his fingers brushed your knuckles and sent a shiver up your arm. He cleared his throat and thanked you for the syrup, and it almost seemed as if he refused to meet your eyes.   
Moominmama caught your gaze from across the table, and gave you a knowing smile. You looked away from her, cheeks bright pink, and she chuckled. “What is it Mama?” Moomin asked.  
“Oh nothing dear.”  
Moomin gave you a confused look but shrugged and kept eating.  
Breakfast ended shortly after, and you waited for Snorkmaiden and Little My to join you all on the porch. You enjoyed her company, she was the only other person you’d consider telling your secret to. She was kind and soft-spoken, and very good at keeping secrets. You had learned not to trust Little My with your secrets, as she always told everyone mere minutes later.   
Snufkin sat on the porch rail, playing his harmonica with you sitting at the other end, one leg draped over the side. You rested your head against the wooden pole behind you, and basked in the noon sun. It felt wonderful, and your black turtleneck soaked up warmth like a sponge in water. A blissful hum escaped you as sat against the pole.  
“I wonder if you really can make a flying ship,” Moomin wondered aloud, breaking the silence.  
“Don’t be silly,” Little My responded, “Of course you can’t!”  
She sat on the rail opposite you and Snufkin. “Oh Little My,” Snorkmaiden said, “Snorks always dreamed about doing it.”  
“Dreams are alright,” Moomin added.  
Snufkin set his harmonica down and joined in the conversation. “Yes, as long as they’re not impossible.”  
“I suppose so,” Moomin replied, almost sounding dejected.  
Sniff opened the door a moment later, a satisfied grin on his face, decorated with crumbs. He sighed happily as he shuffled out to join you all.  
“Sniff you’re not still stuffing your face, are you? Do you ever dream Sniff?” Little My chastised.  
“Only nightmares about having no food at all, Little My,” he replied. You laughed, how fitting of him! While you all laughed, something began filtering out of the windows and door behind you. A pink cloud drifted past your nose and you stared at it in surprise! “Wow,” you said, watching as it floated around gracefully. You hopped off your seat on the rail to follow it, and Snufkin joined you. There were more of them now, drifting around all of you. “What are they?”  
“They’re clouds,” he said, gently grabbing one that floated right above his head.  
“Be careful, don’t touch it, it might be poisonous!” Sniff exclaimed fearfully.   
“It feels like cotton,” you observed, testing your weight on one. You hopped on it and wobbled for a moment, then gained your balance. “This is great, I’m floating!” Moomin cheered as he too clambered onto one.  
Little My hopped onto one as well, and Sniff covered his eyes in fear. It didn’t hold her, and for a minute she ran around trying to get her head through at least. She eventually did, and managed to climb on completely. Snufkin helped Snorkmaiden climb onto one as well and you floated nearby, waiting for your friends to join you. He gave her a push and she cheered as she flew around, then he hopped onto one himself and lay on it lazily.  
From below you, Sniff was doing a wonderful job at voicing his concerns. “What if you go too high?! What if you fall off?!”  
Higher and higher you flew, fully enjoying yourself on your pink cloud. “Come on Sniff!” you shouted, “It’s fun!”  
He gave you a worried glance but chased after a cloud floating nearby, but struggled to hop on it. You laughed as he twisted this way and that, trying to keep his balance but eventually falling off. Finally he managed to hop back on again and stayed on, though with a little difficulty.   
Moomin flew over to his father’s office window and caught his attention. Moominpapa must have thought you all were in danger, however, because he was soon trying to pull Moomin into the office! Instead of successfully doing so, Moominpapa lost his balance and began falling out of the window!  
“Come on Papa! Jump or you’ll fall!” Moomin shouted.  
Too late, Moominpapa lost his balance and fell out of the window, still gripping the cloud. Thankfully, the cloud seemed to slow the fall, and he landed on the grass without more than a bruise. Moomin zipped off a moment later to join you all in the sky again.   
Sniff and Little My were now playing what looked like a game of chicken, and Little My was winning. She flew towards Sniff as fast as she could and knocked him off his cloud, cheering raucously. While she celebrated her victory, Sniff’s cloud had floated off and he ran after it, trying to catch it. You laughed as all of this unfold, this was probably the most fun you’d had in a while!   
You flew around a little more when something about your cloud began to feel a little different. It felt thinner, and you swore your fingers were beginning to slip through. “Odd,” you said to yourself, and you began flying back to the ground to see what was going on. Just as you aimed your cloud down, though, you felt your hands beginning to sink through, then your arms, then your whole body! You fell through the cloud and grabbed desperately at the few stray pink puffs but those vaporized at your touch and your stomach dropped.


	3. 3

Thankfully, Moomin had spotted you and caught you before you could fall more than a few feet. “Are you alright Matilda?” he asked as his cloud began slowly floating to the ground.  
“Y-yeah just a bit shaken up,” you stammered, “What happened?”  
“The clouds are beginning to disappear,” Snorkmaiden said, flying over to you and Moomin. The three of you floated down to join the others. Just in time as well, as Moomin’s and Snorkmaiden’s clouds dissolved as you all touched the ground.  
Little My, Snufkin, and Sniff ran over to you all. “Are you alright Matilda? We saw you almost fall!” Snufkin said, gently grabbing your forearms.  
“Yeah! Even I was worried,” Little My added as she tugged on your skirt.  
“Yeah, just a bit shaky is all. How about we play something else?”  
“Hide and seek!” Sniff cheered, “Right, I’ll start counting. One, two, three…”  
As he began to count, you all scattered, trying to find the best place to hide. You ran inside and shut the door as quietly as you could and looked around. The tablecloth on the dining room table nearly touched the ground, and the table was large enough for you to fit under, so you climbed in.  
Adrenaline pumped through you as you heard the door to the furnace clang open just moments later. You peeked underneath the cloth and spotted Moomin climbing out, covered in soot and ash and mumbling to himself that that spot wasn’t good enough. You stifled a snicker as he stuffed himself into the hat and disappeared. That hat was giant inside!  
The front door open and you stopped laughing. Sniff’s paws padded across the floor past your hiding place, and up the stairs. You let out a sigh of relief and waited for him to inevitably find you. A giggle came from the hat as you waited, and you peeked under the tablecloth to see the hat scooting across the floor towards the couch. What an amusing sight!  
A few minutes later, Little My, Sniff, Snorkmaiden, and Snufkin had all gathered in the dining room where you and Moomin were hiding.  
“Moomin and Matilda must be around here somewhere,” Snufkin said.  
“Well, last time I saw them Moomin was hiding in the fireplace and Matilda was hiding under the table!”  
“Hey!” you shouted indignantly from under the table. Snufkin lifted up the tablecloth and grinned, “Found you!”  
He held out his hand and you took it as he helped you out from under the table. You turned and glared at Little My. “Not fair Little My,” you said, crossing your arms.  
“What? It was all in good fun!” she said innocently. You huffed at her and sat on the couch where Snufkin soon joined you. Sniff came out of the kitchen and Snorkmaiden asked, “Have you found him yet?”  
“Nope,” Sniff replied.  
“Have you looked in the cellar?” Little My suggested.  
“Yes, I have.”  
You stifled a laugh, you knew exactly where he was. As if on cue, Moomin’s giggle could be heard from under your seat. “Wait a minute,” Snufkin said, looking around. He had heard Moomin!  
“Did you hear someone laughing?”  
“Where’d it come from?” Sniff asked. Snufkin shrugged, and you did as well, not willing to give up your friend’s hiding place. “Gee I better go home,” Snorkmaiden interjected.  
“Oh is there anything wrong?” Moominpapa’s voice caught everyone’s attention as he walked downstairs.  
“Yes, I can’t find Moomin anywhere!” Sniff whined.  
“Well he’s too fat to be most places,” Little My said.  
Moomin giggled again, and everyone looked around and spotted the hat shaking under the couch. “It’s coming from under the hat!” Little My said. Something began crawling out of it, and you and Snufkin hopped off the couch in surprise. That wasn’t Moomin at all. This thing was pink and brown and had large ears and a large, toothy grin.  
A fluffy brown tail curled around it as it laughed at your startled faces. The creature climbed out from under the couch and looked at you all, still grinning and laughing. “Well here I am Sniff,” it said.  
“Who on earth are you?”  
The thing laughed more and you backed away a little bit, it was starting to give you the creeps. Why did it sound so much like Moomin? “I won the game didn’t I?” it giggled, as if this were the funniest thing in the world. “You looked everywhere in the house and you couldn’t find me could you? So I won!”  
“Who would want to find you anyway?” Little My spat.  
“Well you were trying hard enough, weren’t you? What is this, a new game?”  
“My name’s Snorkmaiden, what’s yours?”  
“I’m the king of Moomin Valley, my pretty one,” the creature said, bowing low.  
“You’re too ugly to be the king of anything!” Sniff said pointedly.  
“Well now, that’s not a very nice thing to say to your friend is it?”  
Before you could speak up, Moominpapa interjected. “Now you’d better tell me what you have with Moomin,” he said.  
“But I’m here!”  
Moominpapa stuck his nose right against the creature’s pink one, “Where?”  
“Right here,” it pointed a thumb at its chest proudly.  
“Who are you, and where is Moomin?” you asked.  
The thing looked at you confused, and possibly even a little scared. “Matilda,” it said.  
You tensed up. How did it know your name? “Come on, I’m Moomin!” it said desperately, taking a step towards you.  
“I don’t know who you are, but you’re not Moomin,” Snorkmaiden said, “He’s nice and handsome and nothing like you! Have you looked at yourself in a mirror?”  
The thing padded its face, its eyes wide with fear now. “Aah!” it cried out, “Where’s my nose gone?! Oh there’s nothing there anymore!”  
It looked down at its body too, as if only just realizing what it looked like. “Oh no my tail’s all bushy!”  
It ran to the mirror and for a moment you thought it’d faint! It turned back to you and swiftly ran over to where you we standing. It gripped your arms and begged, “Please Matilda you have to recognize me! It’s me, Moomin! I swear! Matilda please!”  
You froze, unsure of what to do or how to even react! You were terrified, yet this creature sounded just like the young moomintroll you cared so much about!  
“I…I-“ you began to say, but were quickly cut off.  
“Let go of her,” Snufkin said sharply, pushing the creature off you and standing between the two of you. “Snufkin wait-“ you said, but were again cut off, this time by loud wailing coming from the pink creature, who had thrown itself onto the floor. Snufkin gently grabbed your wrist and stood in front of you protectively.

“Dear me!” Moominmama said as she came into the room. She looked at the dramatic scene before her, and stared at the pink creature on the floor. “What’s all this noise? What’s happened?”  
The creature shot up from its place on the floor and rushed over to Moominmama, still sobbing. “Who on earth is this?” Moominmama asked as the creature wrapped its arms around you and cried into her shoulder. “He says he’s Moomin but just look at him,” Moominpapa said.  
“You don’t look like my Moomin,” she said.  
“I am, I am! Please believe me Mama, I am Moomin!”  
“Mama,” you spoke up, “Just look for a little bit, there’s definitely something familiar about him!”  
“Well I don’t know, I’m sure.”  
“Something’s happened to me,” the creature lamented, “Why do I look so different?”  
“Now then, calm down, this won’t help at all. We don’t need all this noise! If you really are Moomin, then everything will be alright! Just give me a minute or two and I’ll know.”  
This clearly wasn’t good enough for the creature, as it began jumping up and down in frustration saying, “Mama call me Moomin, please! I don’t know what’s happened but I am me, honestly I am! Mama please believe me! I am Moomin!”  
“Let me see.”  
“Oh Mama, you do know it’s me, you must! You can’t forget your little Moomin! Please, Mama, please, Mama!” it wailed mournfully, a new wave of tears pouring out of its eyes.  
“Oh hush now, hush now!”  
You watched in awe as Moominmama gently held the creature’s furry hands and examined his face. It felt as if hours had gone by when she finally said, “Yes, you are my little Moomin!”  
She pulled him into a comforting hug, and to everyone’s amazement, the fur began to shrink and turn white, and before you knew it, Moomin had taken the place of the pink creature!  
“Oh, Moomin!” you grinned, and Snufkin relinquished his grip on your wrist. Moominpapa asked where Moomin had been hiding, and Moomin pointed at the hat, that now lay on its side.  
Moominpapa deemed the hat too dangerous and you, Moomin, and Snufkin threw it in the river later that day.  
“Let’s hope that’s the last we’ll see of it,” you said as you watched it float down the river. After the events that had happened, you hoped to never see that dreaded hat again. Who knew what it’d do next?


	4. 4

A few days later, you had all nearly forgotten about the hat, and the creature it had turned Moomin into. There were too many new adventures to go on to worry about the hat! This morning, you, Moomin, Snorkmaiden, Little My, and Snufkin were all going to go exploring. However, Snufkin was nowhere to be found!

Normally he’d be eating breakfast with you or waiting on the front porch playing his harmonica until you finished, but now he was gone! He hadn’t left Moomin Valley, as his tent was still up by the creek by the Moomins’ house, but he wasn’t there. His absence disappointed you a little, as you really enjoyed his company and always looked forward to spending time with him.

“He must have forgotten we were coming and gone off somewhere,” Moomin said as you peeked in his tent.

“How can he enjoy being here on his own?” Snorkmaiden wondered aloud.

“I’d like to be alone now and then, you know?” you said.

“Oh silly, she said, leaving the tent, “Let’s go explore.”

“Let’s leave it to tomorrow Snorkmaiden,” Moomin said.

“But we said we’d go today!”

“Yeah, we did too Moomin! You are the one that said it you know,” Little My added.

“Hmm…You did, I didn’t.”

“You did too! All of you must come. We’re going to collect seashells on the beach. Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“Oh, no…” Moomin mumbled.

You laughed and nudged him along. While you walked along the path to the beach, Sniff called out to you. “Heeeey!” he shouted, catching everyone’s attention.

“It’s Sniff!” you said, waving at your friend. 

“Where are you guys going?”

Next to you, Moomin said under his breath, “Oh I envy Snufkin.”

“Oh why?” Sniff asked.

“I just do.”

You snickered and Moomin sent you a half-hearted glare. 

He was quiet the rest of the way, and almost looked a little grumpy, so you sidled up next to him and caught his attention.

“So, what’s going on?” you asked.

He eyed you and said, “I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re all irritable! You’re never irritable!”

He sighed. “I just really wanted Snufkin to come with us is all. I feel like he forgot we were going to go to the beach today!”

“Yeah, I understand. I was looking forward to seeing him too.”

The beach was empty and windy as usual, and the waves crashed into the white sand, pushing up shells and other sea debris for you all to collect. You, Sniff, and Moomin sat by some rocks, soaking up the sun while Snorkmaiden and Little My collected shells.

“I wonder where Snufkin’s gone,” Moomin said, breaking the silence.

Sniff sighed and said, “I wonder if we’ll ever find anything as exciting as the hat.”

A shiver ran down your spine as you remembered what had happened. You had almost forgotten about it!

“Yeah it was very special, that hat,” Moomin agreed.

“Did you and (y/n) really throw it in the river?”

“Yep.”

“I wish you hadn’t.”

You opened one eye and peeked at Sniff, “That was much too dangerous to keep, look at the horrible things it did to Moomin.”

“But what about the eggshells it turned into clouds?”

“Yeah, it was good fun flying around.”

“Perhaps I’ll find an oyster with a huge pearl inside,” Sniff said, and ran over to join Snorkmaiden and Little My in shell collecting.

You closed your eyes again and drifted into a light slumber. While you slept, your mind began to wander and you had a lovely dream about going exploring with Snufkin, only to quickly be awoken by someone shouting yours and Momin’s names.

You sat up and looked around, bleary eyed, who had woken you up? Little My ran towards you, waving her arms frantically.

“Wake up! Snorkmaiden needs your help!”

You nudged Moomin awake. “What? What happened?” he mumbled.

“Snorkmaiden’s in trouble,” you said, and helped him to his feet. 

“We were playing tag and she fell into an antlion hole and we’ve got to get her out quickly! Come on!” Little My said urgently. She led the way and you ran after her as quickly as you could. Sure enough, Snorkmaiden had indeed fallen into a large antlion hole, and was trying as hard as she could to get out.

“Are you alright Snorkmaiden?” You asked, worried for your dear friend.

“I can’t reach her!” Sniff said.

The antlion poked his ugly blue head out of the sand and glared at you all. “I don’t have to have ants for lunch, you know.” 

“Help me Moomin, please!” Snorkmaiden begged.

“You better get in there Sniff,” you said.

“What? Me?”

“Don’t worry, we’ll hold onto you!”

“You’re the only one tall enough, Sniff! Come on!” Little My added.

The antlion was beginning to look hungrier as the four of you argued, and said to Snorkmaiden, “You look nice and tasty, I’ll eat you instead!”

Snorkmaiden shrieked as he climbed out of his hole, and she tried to scramble up the slope even faster, only to slip and slide down again.

“Quickly Sniff!” you shouted.

“Look…I-“

“Get in there you big wimp!” Little My commanded.

“Don’t you call me a big wimp!”

Fed up with his stalling, you and Moomin threw him in, making sure to keep a firm grip on his hands so that he didn’t fall in as well. 

“You gotta grab his feet Snorkmaiden!” you shouted over his screams of terror. Snorkmaiden reached out to grab one of his ankles, but he was kicking too much and spraying sand everywhere! Little My hopped on his back and slid down to his tail where she stopped and held on tightly.

Snorkmaiden grabbed onto her and together, you and Moomin pulled your friends out of the pit, and just in time as well! The antlion grabbed hold of Sniff’s tail though, and he screamed in terror and took off running, the sudden momentum freeing him from the monster’s grasp! The antlion slid back down to the bottom, and buried himself once more. 


	5. 5

Late that night, Moominmama had calmed all of you down and sent you to bed after a nice mug of warm tea. The events from earlier had exhausted you, and you slept heavily. Nothing could wake you, or at least, almost nothing. Two whistles sounded from outside, and you sat up groggily. Who would be waking you at this time?

You slipped on some socks and walked over to your window. You opened it and looked around. Snufkin stood below your window on the ground, waving at you. You waved back, however slightly confused. What was he doing up at this hour, and waking you up no less? 

“Go wake Moomin!” he called out as quietly as he could. You nodded, closed your window, and snuck up to Moomin’s room. He was lightly snoring when you walked in, and it took several nudges for him to wake up. “What’s….what’s going on (y/n)?” he asked through a yawn.

“Snufkin’s here, I think he wants to show us something!”

This woke him up! “Snufkin’s here?”

You nodded, and he hopped out of bed. “Well let’s go then!”

You walked over to the window and he led the way down the rope ladder. Next was your turn; you looked down and gulped, Moomin’s room was higher up than you thought! “Come on (y/n)!” Snufkin called up.

“I’m coming!”

You sat on the sill and swung one leg over, then the other, so that only the top half of your body hung inside the room. Then you carefully made your way down, every move well thought out and deliberate. Finally, you reached the roof of the porch, and hopped onto it, then slid onto the ground.

“Where’ve you been Snufkin?” you asked, running over to him and Moomin.

“That’s a big secret (y/n),” he said, and you furrowed your brow. He still hadn’t told you or Moomin about what he did over the winter.

“We won’t tell anyone,” Moomin said.

“Alright, it’s the magic hat.”

Your eyes widened. What was going on with the hat? You all had thrown it into the river!

“It’s on a sandbank further down the river,” Snufkin continued.

“Gosh,” you said.

“But something terrible is happening!”

“What? What is it?” Moomin asked.

Snufkin motioned for you two to follow him, and you did. Unbeknownst to any of you, however, Little My had heard the whistles as well, and was now spying on you. 

You followed Snufkin down through the woods and down the river to a small bank. In the middle of the water lay a broken branch, and there was the hat, caught in some of its twigs. A red stream was pouring out of it and down the river. “I’ll go get it,” you said, and you hopped off the bank and into the water. The water was cold, but not unbearable, and you found yourself quickly adjusting. “Be careful,” Snufkin said.

You began wading over to the hat, the water growing deeper and deeper until you were practically swimming across. “Shall I come too?” you heard Snufkin ask.

“No, you stay there,” you said. 

You reached the hat quickly and stood up, the water was shallower where the branch was, and only came up to your hips. “Have you got it?” Snufkin called out to you.

“Uh-huh!”

Instead of immediately picking it up, however, you examined the red stream coming out of it, and dipped a finger in. It came out red as well! You sniffed it, and just out of curiosity, tasted it as well. “Wow! It’s raspberry juice!” you laughed raucously, who would’ve thought the hat would turn the water into raspberry juice?

You picked up the hat, still laughing to yourself, and swam back over to the others. Snufkin helped you out of the water and back onto the bank, and Moomin took the hat. “We should start a small fire to dry you and the hat off,” Snufkin chuckled, and you grinned through chattering teeth. 

“Here, take this,” he said, offering you his coat and eyeing your shivering form.

“Th-thank you,” you said, happily accepting the coat. The next few minutes were spent finding sticks to build your small fire, then mounting the hat on a small branch by the fire to dry it off. You sat by the fire, coat still draped over your shoulders, and hummed contently as the heat soaked into your damp skin and clothes. Snufkin played his harmonica, and Moomin watched the fire like a hawk.

“I’m gonna go find some more firewood,” Moomin said, setting down the stick he had been using to stoke the fire with and getting up to go search for more wood.

“Don’t go too far!” you said as he left, “We don’t want you getting lost, Mama would be very upset.”

“I’ll make sure I can always see the fire!” Moomin reassured you.

You watched him for a little bit, then turned back to the fire and made yourself a little more comfortable. You realized Snufkin had stopped playing his harmonica, and you looked up. He was staring at you, and you suddenly felt very insecure under his gaze, as you were only in a light spaghetti strapped tank top and some white shorts that still clung to your skin. You weren’t planning on going out that night, and least of all swimming. Suddenly aware of how you looked, you pulled his coat around you a little more and avoided his gaze, your cheeks were aflame.

“You stopped playing,” you laughed awkwardly.

“Hm? Oh! I did, sorry just zoning out a little,” he said, picking up his harmonica and playing again. Moomin came back a moment later and seemed to sense the awkward atmosphere. He set the wood he had gathered into the fire and sat back down.

“What do we do with the hat?” he asked.

“Well, I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave it lying around, somebody might crawl into it,” Snufkin said.

“But if we put water in it, we can have as much raspberry juice as we can drink!” Moomin argued.

“Well that would be nice,” you chimed in, “But you know Moomin, it could only be the river water that does that, you know what I mean?”

“Well, I think it’s worth experimenting.”

After you and the hat had dried off, and you were all warmed up and tired again, you all put out the fire and made your way back home. Snufkin bid you farewell until morning at the bridge, and you and Moomin snuck back in through the rope ladder.


	6. 6

The next morning greeted you abruptly, and you pulled your blankets over your head to shield your eyes from the rude sunlight. Unfortunately, it became too bright that you gave up on trying to sleep longer and headed downstairs.  
Moomin was looking just as bad as you when you joined the Moomins at the table. His eyelids drooped heavily and he gave a large yawn.  
“What’s the matter you two? You look very tired!” Moominmama asked.  
“We woke up in the night and couldn’t get back to sleep,” Moomin said through a yawn.  
Little My laughed and you gave her a confused look. “Pardon?” you asked.  
“Couldn’t get back to sleep,” she said smugly, as if she knew something you didn’t.  
“What are you talking about?”  
“I was awake last night, too! And I know why you’re so tired.”  
Both you and Moomin tensed up simultaneously. “You must have been dreaming,” he said, his voice had grown more serious, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m in a hurry. Are you going to join me (y/n)?”  
You nodded and finished the rest of your breakfast. “Thank you Mama!” you said as you left your seat at the table.   
“Where are you going?” Little my shouted.  
“You can’t come,” Moomin said harshly, and shut the door behind you.  
You and Moomin began walking down to Snufkin’s tent, Moomin grumbling and kicking small pebbles the whole way. “I can’t believe she spied on us!” you said.  
“I know, she has some nerve.”  
Snufkin was once again away from his tent, and you and Moomin both groaned in frustration. Why did he keep disappearing? Where was he going? He could at least tell you that he’d be gone!  
“Maybe he’s gone down to the beach,” you said, trying to give both you and Moomin a little bit of hope that you’d see him during the day and not in the dead of night when you were trying to sleep. Moomin was irate the whole way, complaining about how Little My had spied on you all last night, how she almost ratted you two out to your parents, and how Snufkin kept disappearing.  
“Well, if Snufkin isn’t there, at least we can take a dip in the sea, you sound like you need to cool off a bit,” you sad, mostly joking. This earned an incoherent grumble and you held back the urge to chuckle.  
Thankfully, Snufkin was on the beach, and Moomin’s mood instantly brightened upon seeing him. Yours did too, seeing Snufkin always made you happier! “Snufkin!” you shouted as you and Moomin ran over to him.   
“Hey! I found out who’s hat it is!” he said as you two joined him.  
“Who’s?” you and Moomin asked in unison.  
“The Hobgoblin’s.”  
“The Hobgoblin’s?”  
“Yeah, I asked the Hemulen an he told me that he saw him once long ago wearing the hat.”  
“I heard about the wizard who flies in the sky!” Moomin said.  
“Yeah, on the back of a black panther! The Hobgoblin was hundreds of years old and only cares for rubies. He rides all over the world searching for them! He’s truly awesome.”  
You circled the hat, examining it. “And so when he dropped his hat, he must have been looking for some rubies right here in Momin Valley!” you concluded.  
“Do you think he’s got a lot of hats Snufkin?” Moomin asked.  
“Gee I don’t know!”  
“Well do you think perhaps he doesn’t know where he dropped his hat?”  
“Yeah I suppose that’s possible.”  
Moomin was quiet for a moment, then picked up the hat. “Snufkin, there’s something I would like to try with the hat,” he said.  
“Just don’t put it on will you?”  
Moomin agreed, then filled the two of you in on his plan. You grinned as he finished it, oh how you couldn’t wait to do it! The three of you walked over to the antlion’s hole, the same one that had nearly eaten Snorkmaiden yesterday. “He’s in there somewhere,” you said, peering into the hole, “antlions are pretty stupid you know.”  
“Yes, Moominpapa told me it takes them hours to dig themselves into the sand,” Snufkin agreed.  
“Oh no it doesn’t! It only takes them one hour,” Moomin said.  
“Only an hour? You’re kidding!”  
“Well, of course, an hour is a long time to spend digging.”  
The antlion stuck his head out of the sand and glared at you all again. “Are you talking about me?” he growled.  
“Yes,” you said, “about how quickly you dig yourself into a hole in the sand!”  
“A lot quicker then you think it’ll take,” he said, almost offended that this would be a debated topic.  
“Moomin here says it takes you only an hour to dig a hole in the sand, but I can’t believe that,” Snufkin said, egging the antlion on. The antlion laughed defiantly.  
“Snufkin says it takes several hours, but I think he’s wrong.”  
This made the antlion very mad, “I’ll show you how long!” He ducked under the sand again and disappeared.  
“Gosh that was fast!” Moomin said, faking astonishment.  
“Yeah,” you began to argue, “but it’s obvious he’s already got a ready-made hole hidden there, don’t you antlion?”  
His blue head burst out of the sand again and he glared at you and Snufkin, enraged that you’d doubt his skills, “No I do not! I can dig myself in anywhere, anywhere at all! Where?”  
You three coaxed the antlion out of his hole, and over to where you had buried the hat. It lay unseen in the sand, and ready to swallow up anything that fell into it. “How about here?” Snufkin suggested.  
“Yeah, okay,” Moomin agreed, “under this rock!”  
“Anywhere you show me,” the antlion said as he crawled across the sand. You shivered as you watched him, he was even uglier outside of the sand! “Okay, start from here!”  
“Yeah, just there if you don’t mind!” Moomin said.  
“Alright, start counting!” The antlion leapt from the ground and dove into the sand the hid the hat. In a matter of seconds, he was gone, swallowed up by the trap you all had set. You shielded your eyes from the sand he kicked up as he dug, and shook your hair to get any that had landed in there out.   
“Wow, you only took a second and a half!” Snufkin pretended to be amazed.  
Moomin ran over with a rock and threw it onto the hole. He hopped on it to make sure the antlion wouldn’t get out, he would be pretty mad too! You and Snufkin began digging out the sand around the hat as quickly as you could. While the two of you dug, Little My stomped over to you. “So you caught the antlion? I’ve been watching!”   
“Little My!” you said, shocked and a little upset to see that she had followed you again.  
“Did you follow us last night?” Moomin asked.  
“Yes.”  
“Did you tell the others?”  
“Oh don’t be silly you guys! I haven’t said a word!”  
“But you will if we don’t let you join in with this, that’s what she’s doing Moomin,” you said, you knew what Little My was planning.  
“No, as if I’d do such a thing!”  
“Of course, we’re forgetting how nice and kind you are.”  
She ignored that comment and began digging with you and Snufkin. You weren’t complaining, though, her help was making this go by faster. As you dug, you noticed a drop of water form on the brim of the hat. “Hey, what is that?” you asked, staring at the drop that was quickly turning into a small stream.  
Soon, the stream had turned into gallons of water pouring out, and the entire hat was spilling water out from under Moomin! “There’s gallons of water!” you said, watching as it kept pouring out steadily.  
“Gosh there must be a lot of sand in there,” Snufkin said.  
“He must have changed into something else by now.”  
“Probably.”  
“It must have been long enough! I’ll jump off.”  
Moomin hopped off his place on the hat and stood beside you. “He isn’t strong enough to move the rock by himself,” Snufkin said.   
“Shall we help him?” you asked.   
“No don’t!” Little my shouted from her spot by some rocks.   
You all ignored her and lifted up the rock. The antlion didn’t pop out of the hat, and water continued to spill out of it. “What’s happened to him?” Moomin asked. You suggested they turn it over, and Snufkin pushed the hat onto its side. Water spilled out onto the sand, and you scrambled away from the hat in case the antlion was terribly mad. When nothing chased after you, you walked over to the hat and looked around. A small, black hedgehog lay on the wet sand, drenched and confused. Snufkin, Moomin, and Little My crept over to see what had become of the beast and were astonished to see that he had turned into a hedgehog!  
He shook himself dry and glared at you all, spewing incomprehensible curses and swears as the four of you laughed at him! Growing embarrassed, he turned, defeated and walked away to find a new home. Maybe the hat wasn’t so bad after all!


	7. 7

You, Little My, and Moomin brought the hat home later that day, and stored it in the cellar where no one would find it. This way, nobody could get hurt by it, but it could also be used to turn boring household objects into fun things for a little while! Snufkin went back to his tent and you could hear his harmonica from your bedroom. His music was wonderful! You flopped onto your bed and picked up a book from your nightstand. It was (f/b), and though you had read it millions of times before, it was still just as good as the first time you’d read it.   
When you were about halfway through your book, you heard strange creaking noises coming from the floorboards, your door, and your window! It sounded as if something was trying to get in! You set your book down and crept over to the door, not noticing the small green tendrils poking from between the floorboards.   
“Hello?” you said quietly, sticking your ear to the door. Nothing responded, but the creaking began growing, and it felt as if your door was beginning to bend inward! You opened it and cried out in surprise when huge, green branches began pushing their way inside!  
You backed up, but tripped on a broken floorboard. Looking around in confusion, you realized that more branches had been pushing their way through the floor as well! They began pushing through your window too, and spilling over the sill onto your desk. What the hell was going on? Was this the work f the Hobgoblin’s hat?  
You could hear Moominmama and Moominpapa outside in the hall, or what was left of it, and you tried to climb through the branches in your room to get to them. “Mama! Papa!” you called out, hoping they’d hear you. The branches seemed to be forming a wall, however, and you couldn’t get more than your arms through.  
“(Y/n)? Is that you?” Moominmama responded.  
“Yes! I’m trapped in my room!”  
“Oh dear,” Moominpapa said, “Hold on a minute dear we’re coming!”  
Your window had been thrown open completely now, and the branches were beginning to block out any sunlight that normally lit up your room. Some tendrils were beginning to wrap around your ankles as well, and you began kicking them off.  
Moominpapa and Moominmama were a little closer now, but the ever-growing tree had slowed them down considerably. You almost couldn’t hear their voices now! Realizing that it could be ages until they reached you – if they reached you that is – you began searching what was left of your room to find anything that could help you escape. Finding nothing but your envelope knife, you decided to get to work on the branches in your window.   
They were much thinner than the others, and your knife made good work at clearing them away until most of the sill had been emptied. Your window was just large enough to fit through, and you began climbing out and onto the branches below. It was a bit of a tight squeeze though! Suddenly, the branches around you started blooming and sprouting fruits! Had you not been in quite the predicament, you would have tried one of the pink fruits.  
Below you, on the ground, Snorkmaiden, Moomin, and Snufkin stood staring up at the house in horror. Moomin climbed up to a nearby window, not spotting you yet, and began calling your parent’s, yours, and Little My’s names.  
“I’m up here!” you called out, waving one hand as you finally clambered out of your room. They spotted you, and even from your place so high up, you could see relief flood their faces. Snufkin and Moomin began climbing up to where you stood. “Hang on, I’ll meet you halfway!” you shouted, and started making your way down to meet them. “What happened? Are you alright?” Moomin asked, concerned.  
“Yes, I’m fine, don’t worry. I think Little My may have put something in the hat!  
“Are Mama and Papa alright?”  
“Yes, I think so! They’re stuck in the hall.”  
“We’ll need some saws and axes,” Snufkin said.  
“They must all be in the cellar, and we can’t get in this way! We must find another way.” Moomin replied, he was beginning to grow panicked.  
“It’s okay Moomin, we’ll figure something out,” you reassured him, and together, you slid back down to where Snorkmaiden was waiting for you all. Snufkin helped you onto the ground when you got to the bottom and offered to go find help. Before he could leave, however, another voice interjected.  
“You do not have to, little one,” it said. It sounded old, regal, and wise, as if it held all the knowledge in the world. You turned and saw a tall bearded man, with long grey hair and a purple cloak. A black panther stood by his side, and for a split second, panic settled in your stomach before you realized it wouldn’t hurt you. Snufkin left your side and walked over to him.  
“Are you the Hobgoblin, sir?” he asked.   
“I am he, and I can see that you have found my hat.”  
“Yes, sir, it was on top of a mountain,” you said.  
“I thank thee, fair lady, that tree seems to be doing remarkably well!” he said, looking up at the branch covered ruins of your home, “However, away with thee!”  
The Hobgoblin swung his cape, and everything turned red as the entire tree began dying. Flowers wilted, and fruits fell to the ground, as well as the rest of the branches outside. All of it fell around the house in a large heap, then the sky turned back to a light blue. Moominmama, Moominpapa, and Little My burst out of the house moments later, and you and Moomin ran up to hug your parents. You had been so worried about them, and they had been worried about you too!


	8. 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! guess what!! i'm not dead! (honestly if one of you shot me in the throat at point blank rn for not updating in months i would not blame you in the slightest)

"Oh that really is some hat you have there Mr. Hobgoblin!" Moominpapa exclaimed. The Hobgoblin bowed deeply to him.  
"I'm sorry I troubled you," he said.  
"We're just glad you came along when you did Mr. Hobgoblin!" Moominmama said.  
"You are most kind madam, I don't suppose you'd have any uncommonly large rubies here, would you? You finding my hat here must be an omen."  
Moominmama dug through her purse for a moment, then pulled out a shiny ring with a large ruby on it. The ruby glinted in the light, and you stared at it in awe. "Here you are Mr. Hobgoblin!" she said, handing the ring to him, "My husband, Moominpapa, gave it to me."  
"Hmm," the Hobgoblin said, looking at it closely, "it is fine indeed, and you are lucky to have it, but I'm afraid it is not the King's Ruby I am looking for."  
"What do you mean King's Ruby?" you asked as Moominmama took back the ring.  
The Hobgoblin turned to you, "I've searched for it for hundreds of years, I'm afraid I am obsessed by it, and cannot find it anywhere."  
"Well, if we see it, we'll light a signal fire," you offered.  
"You are most kind, madam, and I feel we shall meet again soon."  
The Hobgoblin was on his panther's back and in the air faster than you could wish him farewell, and you watched as his purple cloak billowed behind him as he and his panther flew away. Snufkin seemed almost sad to see him go, so you leaned against him and shot him a smile. "He'll be back," you reassured him, and he smiled softly. "I know," he said, then turned to continue watching the Hobgoblin leave.  
"He's not bad for a Hobgoblin," Moomin spoke up. Moominmama wandered over to the house and began picking up wood. "Come on everybody, let's start stacking up all this wood," she said, and everyone hurried over to help her. You were able to pick up most of the branches, but sometimes you'd try to lift an especially large and heavy one and found yourself struggling to stack it on the ever-growing pile of wood! Snufkin usually helped you though, and you two quickly decided to help pick up and stack the branches together to get it done faster! Soon enough, you all had a nice, large pile of firewood stacked outside of the house. Winter sure was going to be warm this year! You thought briefly about how lonely it'd be again, with the moomins all asleep, even Little My would sleep in sometimes, and Snufkin would be away on more of his travels. Of course, you didn't mind the peacefulness at first, but after a few weeks it became boring and mundane, and even lonely!  
"You alright (y/n)?" Moomin asked, laying a white paw on your shoulder.  
"Hm? Oh yes! Just thinking about how warm we'll be this winter!"  
"Yeah, it's going to be really nice," he agreed.

A few days went by after the Hobgoblin's visit, and once again you had almost forgotten about it. Your room was void of any and all branches and fruits, and you were grateful. When the Hobgoblin had removed the tree, he had fixed the house too, which was very kind of him! The only repair that had to be done was just to replace the glass panes on your window.  
Today was a particularly sunny and warm day, and you were sitting outside enjoying the weather with a new book. Moominmama was inside making breakfast, Moominpapa was in his office writing, and Moomin was out playing with Little My. Snufkin was likely out wandering again, since his tent was empty. You had gone down earlier to see if he wanted to come over, but realized your favorite vagabond was nowhere to be found. "Pity," you'd said, "Maybe he'll be over for breakfast!" You wandered back home, found your book, and sat outside in the sun to read.

"Wait for me, Moomin!" you heard a voice shout.

You looked up and saw Little My chasing after Moomin as they ran towards the house. "Good morning Moomin!" you said as he rushed up the steps.

"Good morning (y/n)!" he said through labored breaths, "Has Moominmama finished making breakfast?"

"I'm not sure, I've been out here all morning!"

Moomin nodded and ran inside, with Little My not far behind. "Good Morning Little My," you said.

"Morning (y/n)!" she shouted before darting inside.

You laughed to yourself, she was always full of energy! The peace settled once again, and you returned to your book. Moomin came back out a few minutes later, and sat down on the steps next to you. "I take it Moominmama wasn't done?" you said, not looking away from your book.

"No, apparently the Hobgoblin's wood takes a while to burn."

You hummed thoughtfully, and continued to read. Moomin sighed and laid his head against your shoulder, and you rubbed his ears. "What are you reading?" he asked. "The book Snufkin gave me when he told us about his adventures."

"He gave you a book?"

"Yes! He got it while visiting a big city down south."

"He's so cool," Moomin said quietly. You smiled and nodded in agreement. Snormaiden wandered over not long after, looking dejected. "Hello Snormaiden!" Moomin said, and you invited her to sit down with you. "What's wrong?" 

"Snork is upset about his flying ship model. He can't seem to figure it out!" she cried, fiddling with her tail sadly.

"Come on Snorkmaiden, cheer up! I'm sure Snork will get over it! Inventors always feel down in the dumps when something doesn't work," Moomin said.

"Does Moominpapa, do you think? He always invents stories doesn't he Moomin?"

"Well, they're memoirs really."

Moominmama came out to see what you were doing, and said, "Snorkmaiden, do you want some pancakes?"

"Oh yes please Moominama!"

"Moomin, go and get Papa, I have a feeling his writing's got stuck again."

"Okay Mama!" 

Moomin dashed inside and up the stairs to get his father, and you returned to reading while Moominmama and Snorkamiden continued talking. Hopefully Snufkin would be here soon! You'd hate to miss him for breakfast again. They went inside a few minutes later too. "Will you be joining us, (y/n)?" Moominmama asked before going in.

"Hm? Oh, no, I might join you all in a bit but I'm not hungry right now," you said, looking over at Snufkin's orange tent. You could just see the tip of it poking over the grassy hill leading down to the Moomin's creek.

"You're waiting for Snufkin aren't you?" she said, smiling softly. You sighed. "Yes, he keeps wandering off! I miss him."

"He'll be back soon, I'm sure. His stuff's all here!"

You hummed and shrugged your shoulders. The door closed and you set your book down. Maybe a walk would work up your appetite, and who knows, maybe you'd find Snufkin! 


	9. 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm waiting in fear for one of you to break into my house, beat me upside the head and shout, "WHERE TF HAVE YOU BEEN HOE" and honestly i have no excuse for my ghost-like behavior  
Also, I meant to have this posted on Friday so sorry for the wait again 😬

While you walked back home from your outing, you were thrilled to see a familiar green hat pop up by the creek! The bright red feather in it bobbed in the wind, and you could see Snufkin's fluffy brown hair peak out from under the large brim. "Snufkin!" you cheered. He turned and grinned at you while you jogged over to him. "Look!" he said, and held up a small leaf boat. It had a mast and everything! You gasped and gently held the small creation. "Snufkin this is amazing!" you said, grinning at him. He averted his eyes and smiled bashfully. "Thanks," he said, and you swore you could almost see a blush forming under the shadow of his hat! You handed the small boat back to him, and he knelt down by the creek to let it go. As he did, a familiar voice cuaght your attention, "Hi Snufkin! Hi (y/n)!"

It was Moomin! He stood on the bridge waving to the two of you.

"Hi Moomin!" you said, waving back.

"Hello Moomin!" Snufkin called, "Didn't think you were coming!"

"Sorry I'm late! What's that?"

He pointed to the little leaf boat drifting down the stream. "A leaf boat!" you answered.

"Look, it sails on the river just like a real one," Snufkin added, "I bet it goes all the way down to the sea, and maybe even some foreign lands!"

"Gosh Snufkin, I'd like to do that one day!" you sighed.

Snufkin grinned, "Let's go then, shall we?"

You and Snufkin began walking towards the beach, but Moomin stopped you. "Little My wanted to come," he said, still standing on the rocky bank, "but I told her it was too dangerous!"

Snufkin hummed thoughtfully, "Perhaps that wasn't the best thing to say. Look!" He pointed across the stream towards the path. Little My, Sniff, and Snorkmaiden were all running over to join you! "Oh, boy," you laughed, "Next time, don't tell Little My that something's dangerous!"

Moomin looked frustrated, and understandably so! He grumbled and began walking to the path that led to the beach. You and Snufkin laughed! This sure was going to be exciting!

The beach was empty when you and your friends arrived, just the way you liked it! Snufkin led you all to a particularly large rock by the shore, and Sniff already seemed doubtful of his plans. Even you were a little unsure of what he was planning! "Are we really going to climb all the way up there?" he asked.

"Look, I don't think we can all go. It'll just be Moomin, (y/n), and me!" Snufkin answered. You glowed, there was no way you'd pass this up! "I'm not climbing up there!" Snorkmaiden said.

"Well I am!" Little My shouted, as if she'd ignored Snufkin. 

"Wouldn't you like to keep me company instead?" Snorkmaiden asked, as if sensing yours and Snufkin's frustration. Snufkin was standing next to you with his arms crossed and his hat was pulled lower over his face. 

"Look," he began, trying to hide the slight irritation in his voice, "there's a cave just a little bit further along this path. Why don't you two girls wait for us there! We won't be long."

"But if you can walk to it, why on earth climb to it?" Snormaiden asked.

"Eh, difficult for a girl to understand."

You elbowed his arm and shot him a glare. He winced and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, he knew he'd upset you. "Well I think boys are difficult to understand," you retorted.

"We're not sure we can reach it from up above," Snufkin added. He looked at you pleadingly, but you crossed your arms. Maybe you were acting a bit petty, but this was a petty scenario. 

"Well, we'll soon find out!" Moomin said cheerfully, as if completely oblivious to what was really being said.

He started to climb up the rock, and Snufkin followed behind. "Are you coming Sniff?" he asked.

"O-oh I think I'll guard the rear, protect the cave from below!" 

"Oh yeah," Moomin teased. Sniff clearly took great offense to being questioned.

"Well someone has to look after the girls! Someone responsible."

Snufkin turned to you, "Are you still coming (y/n)?" he asked hopefully.

"No, I think I'll stick with the girls. At least I can understand them," you said sharply.

Snufkin looked hurt, and you almost swallowed your pride and apologized, but you bit your tongue back and stayed quiet. You were definitely going to regret that. 

The walk to the cave was unsurprisingly noisy, with Little My complaining about how the boys always doing the fun stuff while Snorkmaiden tried to calm her down, and Sniff complaining about how long the walk was and how the sand was burning his paws. You, however, stayed quiet. Snorkmaiden, ever the observant one, took notice.


	10. 10

"What's wrong (y/n)?" Snorkmaiden asked, slowing down to walk with you.  
"Hm? Oh! Nothing Snorkmaiden, I was just thinking."  
"Oh come on now, I know when you're upset! We've been friends for years!"  
"You're right."  
"Well? Are you going to tell me or what?"  
You sighed and frowned at your feet, kicking the sand as you walked. "It's just the argument I had with Snufkin earlier. Do you think I was too mean?"  
"Maybe just a little bit, but he had it coming! He shouldn't have made that remark."  
"You think so?"  
"Definitely!"  
"Thanks Snorkmaiden," you said, smiling. She smiled back and the two of you caught up with the others.  
You got to the cave not long after, and Sniff stopped and peered around the cliff wall into the entrance. It was dark and wet inside! "Oh my goodness, it's dark in there!" he exclaimed.  
"Let's go in then!" you said, walking past him and into the cave. "I don't like the look of it," Snorkmaiden said warily. Sniff agreed.  
"Don't be silly!" Little My chastised, "No one lives in there!"  
"That's what I don't like!" Snorkmaiden responded. Sniff agreed, and you had to as well. It was a little spooky, but you weren't gonna let that stop you! "We should wait for Moomin and Snufkin to get here," Sniff said. You and Little My realized that he and Snorkmaiden weren't coming any time soon, so you reluctantly agreed. You sat down on the sand to rest for a bit, and watched the others play. 

Sniff wandered over to the edge of the water and began looking for seashells, and tried to get Little My's attention to show her some pretty ones he'd found, but she was nowhere to be found! "Snorkmaiden, where did Little My go?" you asked. Snorkmaiden was standing at the entrance, staring into the darkness. "She went into the cave (y/n)!" she said, and your frustration rose.

"Oh no she can't do that! It might be dangerous!" Sniff exclaimed, and rushed over to you. He shouted Little My's name into the cave, and you heard her respond with, "No! You come in scaredy cat!"

"You can't just go in like that!"

"So tell me, how would you go in Mr. Know It All!" she retorted.

"Stay where you are, we'll rescue you!"

"Oh please," you snorted, and you marched inside after Little My. She hollered with laughter and darted further into the cave. For someone as small as she was, she was quite fast! As you all wandered further and further into the cave, you wondered how Snufkin and Moomin were doing. Had they already reached the top? Little My snapped you out of your thoughts though, and told everyone to be quiet. "I can hear something!" she said. You started listening too, wondering what it was she heard. Sniff whimpered and held down his large ears so he couldn't listen. You could hear a quiet sound in the distance, almost like snoring? "I can hear it too," you said, "Maybe it's the wind!"

"No (y/n)," Little my said, "It sounds like someone moaning!"

Sniff laughed nervously, still holding his ears shut, and said, "You can't scare me that easily! No one lives here! It's dark and cold and-"It's Moomin and Snufkin! They've climbed down and we can hear their voices in the distance! So we needn't worry!"

"Why would they be moaning?" Little My argued.

"No, it's not them," you agreed, "I'm gonna go and investigate."

"Me too!" Little My said.

As you walked down the ever-darkening cave tunnel, you heard another moan erupt from farther down, and the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. The more it continued, the more it started sounding like a growl! Suddenly, there was a loud shout and a startled scream from the back of the cave, and you nearly jumped out of your skin! What on earth was that?! Little My, Sniff, and Snorkmaiden ran out of the cave in fear, but you stayed, almost frozen in place. Suddenly, you started hearing what you swore were voices! There were 3 different ones, but you couldn't make out what they were saying. You quietly inched your way in their direction, careful to not make a sound. The last thing you wanted was to alert the people there, they might be dangerous!

The voices were very close now, and you peeked your head around a boulder to see who they belonged to. It was Moomin, Snufkin, and Mr. Hemulen! You grinned, it had all just been a silly mistake! "Snufkin! Moomin!" you laughed, "What on earth happened? We heard a loud cry, and it scared the others half to death!"

Moomin turned red. "(Y/n)! We were wondering where you all were. Moomin lost his grip on the rope and fell on Mr. Hemulen!" Snufkin said.

Moomin laughed sheepishly and Mr. Hemulen rubbed his back. That must have hurt!


End file.
